


What's in a Name?

by BarPurple



Series: Hurry, Belle, Hurry [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Stargate Universe
Genre: Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 18:49:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12777252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: A comment Young made got under Belle's skin, but with a little help from both versions of her lover they work it out.





	What's in a Name?

Belle was trimming Rush’s beard while the slightly older Rush brushed her hair. He had become a master at plaits, since sharing a bed with two other people with long hair could cause problems. Waking up choking on his own hair was bad enough, waking up because his hair was choking Belle was not to be risked.

Belle had rustled up a couple of spare hair ties from somewhere which he and his doppelganger used to pull their shaggy hair back into a rough ponytail for bed. It had raised a few eyebrows when he’d forgotten to let his hair down before he strolled into the Gate Room after a forced nap, but Belle’s sweet smile had taken the edge of the ribbing.

“Do you have a middle name?”

Behind her Rush put the brush down on the bedside table and lay back on the bed; “Nope, just Nicholas.”

Belle brushed a stray hair from Rush’s beard and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. He smiled his thanks and pushed her gently back onto the bed. It took the three of them a moment to get comfortable before Belle continued her musing.

“Well, that scuppers that idea.”

She tapped the older Rush on the chest and said; “Nic,” – her hand moved to the younger Rush, “Olas.”

“No!”

She giggled at the stereo answer, “Yeah, okay, that might have worked if you’d been called Alexander, or Benjamin, I guess.”

“It was very inconsiderate of our parents not to have named us with the possibility of temporal duplication in mind.”

Belle hummed and bit her bottom lip, “Original and Clone?”

“That’s one of Eli’s isn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

Rush rolled on to his stomach, and rubbed his freshly trimmed beard over Belle’s bare stomach; “He talks so much about Star Wars that even I know one of the films is called Attack of the Clones.”

His other self snorted, “I think I could write a bloody book report on the whole damn saga.”

Belle frowned, Rush nudged his double’s leg and drew his attention from the ceiling to her. They shared a puzzled look.

“Why is this bothering you so much, sweetheart?”

“You can always tell us apart. Why worry about what to call us now?”

She grumbled a bit; “It’s just something Young said today when he mixed you up again. I called him on it like I always do, but he said how the hell was anyone supposed to know which was which when even I call you by the same name.”

“He calls us both Rush anyway, it’s not of his damn business what you call us.”

Belle wriggled between them, her irritation with Young making her restless; “I know that, it just pisses me off that he thinks he’s scored a point against us, y’know?”

Both Rushes felt a pang of guilt that Belle had been dragged into their on-going feud with Young, but there was also an emotional warmth as well, because Belle sided with them, that the three of them were an ‘us’ against the ‘them’ of Young and the crew. They were so used to being alone, being the outsider, that even though they were basically the same person, it had been hard to accept they were on each other’s side. Belle had somehow managed to knit them together, to smooth their rough edges so they fit with her and each other.

The older Rush hummed thoughtfully; “Well, to prove Young wrong, how about I take Nicolas…”

His younger self nodded, “And I’ll take Nick.”

Belle sat up and turned so she was kneeling between them both. Nicolas and Nick watched her carefully. Their sweetheart could be quite clumsy and that had resulted in a few knees and elbows in uncomfortable places, and one dramatic tumble from the bed. Once she was settled she leaned over Nicholas and pressed a warm kiss to his lips.

“Nicholas, my Nicholas.”

He craned his head forward as she pulled away, but settled back with a grin as she bent over Nick in the same way.

“Nick, my Nick.”

Science and mathematics ruled the heart of Dr Nicholas Rush, but that moment could only be described as spiritual, one of the few times in his life that he would characterize in that manner. Belle had named them both, her kisses taken the place of the water or oil that might be used in a religious ceremony, but were no less significant.

They reached for Belle and pulled her into their embrace needing nothing more in this moment that for the three of them to be close and as safe as they could be on Destiny.

It took the rest of the crew a few days to work out that the Doctors Rush were now using variations on their names. The information changed very little about their daily interactions. Most people still got them mixed up, although Eli and Chloe were right the majority of the time. Young was still hopeless, never having a clue as to which one of them he was talking to. Not that Nick and Nicholas made it any easier for him. Belle would probably have something to say about that once she worked out what they were up to, but unless she was truly angry, Belle’s method of punishing them tended towards the sort of blissful torture they were both willing to risk.


End file.
